CHARLOTTE -- No man is an island. But cornerback Chris Gamble wouldn't object to being left on one in man-to-man coverage when the Panthers line up on defense.
"I'm open for it," he said Monday. "I want to go against the best and try and (make) myself better. I go against Steve (Smith) throughout practice, just to try and get myself better. If they call a defense, I'm going to be ready for it."
There's a clear cliche' for what Gamble wants to be this coming season -- the "shutdown corner." The Panthers invested in him last fall by signing him to a six-year contract extension; now he wants to justify that commitment in return.
He feels that new coordinator Ron Meeks' defensive scheme will help.
"The game plan is going to be simpler this year," Gamble said. "Last year, we had a lot going in, but this year it's simpler. You can play faster.
"In a way, I do (like it), because you don't have to think that much; you just go out there and play fast and try to make plays. I like it being simple."
And keeping it simple can be the best thing for a cornerback who embraces the idea of being left to grapple alone with the opponent's top wideout -- a circumstance that would free the other 10 men to concentrate on the rest of the offense offers.
"Hopefully they'll put me on the best receiver, and I'll just do what I can do," Gamble said.
NO BRACING HIMSELF: Even though Jason Carter is less than 10 months removed from a season-ending knee-ligament tear, the wide receiver has been working without a knee brace during recent practices.
"The first couple of days I wanted to see how it felt with a brace, and it kind of held me back," Carter said. "Then without the brace, it felt good. I just put a sleeve on it just to keep it warm. I could really go out there without the sleeve on it, but I just like to keep it warm."
To see Carter moving around the field now is to see little evidence of the injury and subsequent rehabilitation he endured. He moves without hesitation -- and more importantly, is no longer conscious of cutting on the knee.
"I don't even think about it now," Carter said. "I went back and watched the tape from last year, and I was seeing how I cut, how I ran routes. I watched last week's practice (to compare) and I saw that I was getting back to how I looked (before the injury)."
SPLIT SECONDS:
... Wide receiver
... The only two Panthers on hand who were sidelined were running back
... Carolina closes its summer school sessions on Tuesday morning. The team is not scheduled to reconvene until Aug. 2, when it gathers for training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
MORE SNAPSHOTS:
During summer-school sessions, kickoff specialist
Linebacker
Running back
Rookie linebacker
MORE FROM SUMMER SCHOOL:
• With injury behind him, Otah clear and focused
• Panthers.com TV: Taylor's speed a perfect fit for new 'D'
• Day 11 photo gallery
